Harry Potter and the Dark Lord of the Sith

Chapter 55.

The flash was followed by some twenty large objects falling from the sky. It took only a few moments for them to get close enough to resolve into people on broomsticks. The only person more shocked than Ron was Snape.

Kyle Katarn wasted no time. As Snape lifted his wand to the sky, he knocked the Death Eater down with a well placed kick.

Ron dove in, grabbing his and Ginny's wands. "Stupefy!" he shouted, turning the wand on the Imperial officer who was about to shoot him. "Ginny, catch!" He tossed the wand to his sister.

A loud horn sounded in the distance, and Ewoks began pouring out of the forest. Despite being armed only with rocks, slings, and spears, they fearlessly tackled the Imperials.

"Move it!" a woman's voice shouted. Ron turned to the surprise reinforcements. The voice belonged to one of the Patil twins. She, like everyone else who'd just arrived, was wearing dark purple robes.

Ron had no time for a closer look. "Expelliarmus!" Ginny shouted next to him, ripping away Snape's wand. Ron turned to see this, but the wand, instead of flying to Ginny, landed into Roganda Ismaren's palm. She tossed it back to her husband, and ignited the lightsaber.

"Incarcerous!" Ron attempted to bind her. The woman's sword easily destroyed the ropes pouring out of his wand. Ron ended the useless charm and leaped backwards to avoid being sliced himself.

Han, Leia, and Jan were hunkered down, firing their blasters at the Imperials. Jan shook her head at Ron. He understood. Jan would be all right. They aren't facing a Death Eater and a Dark Jedi.

Ginny and Snape dueled, constantly dodging each other's curses. Ron ran up to help, but had to drop as a stream of blaster bolts nearly brought him down. "Kriff!" he heard Kyle curse. He was the one who fired these bolts, but Roganda managed to deflect them. "Sorry there!" he called out.

"Incendio!" Ron threw a stream of fire at the lightsaber-wielding woman, igniting the underbrush next to her. She escaped the fire by a Force-assisted leap and landed less then ten feet away. She immediately turned to Ron, and he fell backwards as something powerful slammed into his chest.

The woman ran towards him. Ron reached for his wand, already knowing it would be too late. Then Roganda was thrown back herself, flying over fifteen feet.

"Ron, you all right?" Dean Thomas helped him up.

"Protego!" Susan Bones stopped a burst of blaster fire from a couple of Imperial soldiers.

"Sure. Ginny--"

Ginny was in trouble. She was still fighting Snape, but the Death Eater had clearly driven her to exhaustion. "Expelliarmus!" Snape yelled. Despite being prepared, Ginny didn't have enough power to hold on to her wand.

Ron, Dean, and Susan rushed at Snape. Keeping Ginny's wand pointed at her, Snape thrusted his own wand forward. "Avada Kedavra!" he said.

They all dropped instantly, but didn't escape unscathed. Ron was lying on the ground, looking into Dean's lifeless eyes.

"No!" Susan screamed, and enraged, attacked Snape. Ginny tackled him at the same time, and Ron leaped up moments later.

"Crucio!" Snape said, casting the spell out of both wands he held. Ginny and Susan fell back in anguish, and Ron was left facing Snape.

Ron pointed his wand at the Death Eater when Roganda Ismaren landed next to him and used the Force to take it away from him. Then she ignited her lightsaber.

XXXXXX

Blade Squadron was down to nine pilots, all the casualties from their single engagement with the group of Interceptors with unusual red markings. She supposed they were some Imperial elite unit--the Rebels had Rogue Squadron, so it wasn't at unlikely. Focus, Hermione. Focus.

Imperial fighters were attacking the Mon Calamari cruiser Liberty, trying to bring down her shields. A year ago, Hermione watched the great ship being built. She remembered meeting Nelir, the ship's Mon Calamari designer and Wedge's friend. Her flight was chasing a group of Imperials amidst turbolaser batteries, shield projectors, ion cannons, and other protrusions covering the surface of the warship. Hermione brought her fighter as close as she could... she could almost land.

Linra'sin was acquainting herself quite well. Blade Eleven, her other pilot... what was his name? Erad Loth, she remembered. She was more worried for him than for the Twi'lek. She heard that he recently lost a very close friend, and the result seemed to be that Loth now needed to think through the maneuvers and attacks rather than performing them instinctively. That could be dangerous. Some pilots--Harry and Luke, of those she knew best--relied almost entirely on these instincts. She and Wedge preferred a middle path, but when her feelings told her to do something, she did it. Space battle was too fast for hesitations.

One of the disguised mines on the hull exploded, the shrapnel destroying a TIE. A second Imperial veered off to avoid it, and was blasted by Linra'sin's guns. The Twi'lek had dispatched more bolts than were needed, and one of them hit the Liberty's surface.

"Hey, what side are you on?" Hermione asked her.

"Sorry, ma'am."

CueSeven beeped, prompting Hermione to look at the instruments. Three Interceptors were behind them.

"I've got them, Nine," Loth said, pulling his A-wing away from the Liberty. Accelerating, he flew his fighter towards the enemy flight, and fired torpedoes. They locked on two fighters, and destroyed them. Loth gunned down the third one with his lasers.

I've got a crazy wingmate with a death wish, Hermione thought. "Good work, Erad," she said. "F--"

"Nine, get over here!" Pash demanded.

"You heard the boss," Hermione said. The rest of the squadron were near the Liberty's bridge, keeping the Imperials off. Hermione quickly counted them. Damn, she thought. They lost another pilot.

"No torpedoes, Erad," she said. "Too dangerous."

"Acknowledged," the other pilot replied.

Two enemy fighters broke off and rushed towards them. Both zeroed in on Linra'sin.

Hermione was chasing another Imperial. "I'm hit!" she heard the Twi'lek's panicked cry.

She dropped pursuit, turning towards the other X-wing. With precise, well-timed shots, she destroyed one of the TIE fighters in pursuit. The others broke.

"Lin, status?"

"Lost one engine, and rear shields. I can still maneuver."

"Nine, behind you!" Loth shouted.